Aeronautical car and associated features

ABSTRACT

An aeronautical car includes a ground-travel system including a drivetrain; an air-travel system including a detachable portion configured to house a propulsion device configured to provide thrust and to be driven by the drivetrain when the detachable portion is connected to the aeronautical car, and at least one flight mechanism configured to provide lift once the aeronautical car is in motion; and a weather manipulation device. The weather manipulation device may be configured to manipulate at least one aspect of a weather condition while the aeronautical car is in the air.

PRIORITY CLAIM

This application is a continuation of and claims the benefit to U.S.application Ser. No. 15/417,198, filed Jan. 26, 2017, which claimspriority from U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 62/288,916, filedon Jan. 29, 2016. The entire disclosure of each of the foregoingapplications is incorporated by reference in the present application.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present disclosure is directed to an aeronautical car and, moreparticularly, an aeronautical car and associated features.

BACKGROUND

In the recent past, the concept of a flying car has gone from afuturistic prediction to an upcoming reality. Today, there are manyexamples of aeronautical vehicles that have dual capability to bothdrive on the ground and fly in the air. In general, these vehiclesinclude one or more propulsion devices that may be used to propel thevehicle on the ground and/or to lift the vehicle off of the ground. Forexample, current aeronautical vehicles include engines, wings,propellers, etc., which provide the vehicle with the dual capability.Some of these vehicles include vertical take-off and landing (VTOL)capability, while others require a runway to have sufficient space totransfer between land and air.

Current aeronautical cars suffer from drawbacks, however, that mayprevent the vehicles from being used in some situations where thefeatures of an aeronautical car are advantageous. Further, there aremany features that prior aeronautical cars have not contemplated,including certain features, such as those providing weather manipulationcapabilities, that are particularly well-suited for use in combinationwith an aeronautical car.

SUMMARY

The present disclosure is directed to an aeronautical vehicle thatincludes a ground-travel system, an air-travel system, and a weathermanipulation device.

It is to be understood that both the foregoing general description andthe following detailed description are exemplary and explanatory onlyand are not restrictive of the invention.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 illustrates an exemplary embodiment of an aeronautical car thatis consistent with the present disclosure;

FIG. 2 illustrates an exemplary drive system that may be included in anaeronautical car that is consistent with the present disclosure;

FIG. 3 illustrates another exemplary drive system that may be includedin an aeronautical car that is consistent with the present disclosure;

FIG. 4 illustrates another exemplary embodiment of an aeronautical car,consistent with the present disclosure;

FIG. 5 illustrates an exemplary aeronautical car with features forimproved flight handling and control that are consistent with thepresent disclosure;

FIG. 6 illustrates an exemplary aeronautical car with retractable flightsystem features that are consistent with the present disclosure;

FIG. 7 illustrates an exemplary aeronautical car with other retractableflight system features that are consistent with the present disclosure;

FIG. 8 illustrates an exemplary control system that may be included inan aeronautical car that is consistent with the present disclosure;

FIGS. 9 and 10 illustrate an exemplary aeronautical car with featuresfor weather manipulation that are consistent with the presentdisclosure;

FIGS. 11 and 12 illustrate an exemplary aeronautical car with otherfeatures for weather manipulation that are consistent with the presentdisclosure; and

FIGS. 13 and 14 illustrate an exemplary aeronautical car with otherfeatures for weather manipulation that are consistent with the presentdisclosure.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Reference will now be made in detail to the drawings. Whereverconvenient, the same reference numbers will be used throughout thedrawings to refer to the same or like parts.

FIG. 1 illustrates an exemplary aeronautical car 10 that may beconfigured for both ground travel and air travel. Although aeronauticalcar 10 is depicted and described herein as a car, it is understood thataeronautical car 10 may embody other types of aeronautical vehicles thatare configured for both ground and air travel (e.g., aeronauticaltrucks, vans, utility vehicles, etc.). Aeronautical car 10 may include aground-travel system 12 that allows aeronautical car 10 to be driven onthe ground and an air-travel system 14 that allows aeronautical car 10to fly and/or hover above the ground. It should be understood that thebelow described features of aeronautical car 10 are exemplary, and thatadditional or alternative features configured to allow aeronautical car10 to be a dual-purpose vehicle with the capability of driving on theground and flying in the air are possible.

Ground-travel system 12 may include one or more features configured toallow aeronautical car 10 to travel on the ground in a manner similar toa typical car. For example, ground-travel system 12 may include aplurality of traction devices 16 (e.g., 4 traction devices) configuredto support aeronautical car 10 and allow aeronautical car 10 to bepropelled along a ground surface. Although many known cars typicallyinclude four wheels, it is understood that the plurality of tractiondevices 16 may include any number of traction devices 16 that allowaeronautical car 10 to be effectively driven and maneuvered on a groundsurface in a desired manner. For instance, aeronautical car may includetwo, three, four, six, or more traction devices 16, as desired, toachieve certain performance characteristics (e.g., handling, stability,load bearing capacity, etc.).

Each traction device 16 may include features and be configured in amanner that allows aeronautical car 10 to traverse various types ofground surfaces, including those on and off established roads and undervarious conditions. For example, traction devices 16 may include wheelsand tires sized to provide traction and stable control for aeronauticalcar 10 while traveling on the ground. Traction devices 16 may beconfigured to allow aeronautical car 10 to maneuver around curves, upand down hills, on rough terrain, over loose or slick ground, onhighways, in traffic, etc.

As shown in FIG. 2, ground-travel system 12 may also include adrivetrain 18 operatively connected to and configured to drive one ormore of traction devices 16 for propelling aeronautical car 10 on theground. Drivetrain 18 may be driven by a power source 20 and operativelyconnected to one or more traction devices 16 via a plurality ofdrivetrain components. Drivetrain components may include, among otherthings, an engagement device 22 (e.g., a clutch, a torque converter,etc.), a transmission 24, a transfer case 26, one or more drive shafts28, a front differential (not shown), and/or a rear differential 30. Itis understood that ground-travel system 12 may be configured in adifferent manner than the exemplary configuration shown in FIG. 2. Forexample, drive system 12 may be configured as a rear-wheel drive system,a front-wheel drive system, a four-wheel drive system, an all-wheeldrive system, or in another type of configuration. It is further notedthat drive system 12 may include more, fewer, or other drivetraincomponents than those described herein.

Power source 20 may be a device or system configured to convert energyfrom a first form (e.g., a form that can be easily stored) to a secondform (e.g., kinetic energy) that can be used to drive traction devices16 in a controllable manner. For example, in some embodiments, powersource 20 may be an internal combustion engine, such as a reciprocatingpiston engine, a rotary engine (e.g., a Wankel engine), or a turbineengine, that is configured to burn a mixture of air and fuel (e.g.,gasoline, diesel fuel, propane, natural gas, jet fuel, etc.) to producea rotational mechanical output. In other embodiments, power source 20may be an electric power source and include one or more electric motors,storage devices (e.g., batteries), and drive/supply circuitry.

For example, as shown in FIG. 3, aeronautical car 10 may include anelectrical power system 32 configured to configured to provideelectrical energy to power source 20 and/or other devices and systemsassociated with aeronautical car 10. Electrical power system 32 may beconfigured to store and supply an amount of electrical energy that issufficient to allow aeronautical car 10 to effectively drive on theground and fly in the air for a period of time. In some embodiments,electrical power system 32 may be configured to provide enough power toallow aeronautical car 10 to rely entirely on electrical power fordriving and flight propulsion.

Electrical power system 32 may include one or more energy storagedevices 34 configured to store electrical energy. For example,electrical power system 32 may include a plurality of batteries,capacitors, and/or other electrical storage devices configured toreceive, store, and release electrical energy. Energy storage devices 34may be electrically connected to power source 20 and/or other propulsiondevices associated with air-travel system 14 for supplying propulsionpower. For example, power source 20 may be part of a fully electricdrive system or a hybrid drive system (e.g., including both a combustionengine and drive motor) that is powered by electrical power system 32.Electrical power system 32 may also or alternatively be connected toelectrical air propulsion devices, such as motor-driven rotors,propellers, fans, etc., that are configured to provide propulsion forair travel.

In some embodiments, electrical power system 32 may further include amechanism for collecting and storing energy. For example, electricalpower system 32 may include a solar energy system 36. Solar energysystem 36 may include a plurality of solar panels 38 disposed on one ormore portions of aeronautical car 10 in a variety of differentconfigurations. Persons of ordinary skill in the art will recognize therequirements of solar panels suitable for the applications disclosedherein. Further, the disclosed configurations and placement of solarpanels shown and discussed herein are not intended to be limiting, andpersons of ordinary skill in the art will understand that additionalembodiments are possible.

Solar energy system 36 may be electrically connected to electrical powersystem 32 in order to store energy collected by solar panels 38. Solarenergy collected via solar panels 38 may be stored in electrical powersystem 32 and distributed to various systems or devices of aeronauticalcar 10 (e.g., power source 20, lighting systems, control systems, gaugesand instruments, entertainment devices, etc.). In some embodiments,solar energy system 36 may be configured to provide electrical powerdirectly to power source 20. For example, solar energy system 36 may beconfigured to directly supply electrical energy to power source 20 viadedicated circuitry for immediate use (e.g., to produce mechanicalenergy). In other embodiments, solar energy system 36 may beadditionally or alternatively configured to supply power to power source20 via circuitry associated with electrical power system 32. Forexample, energy collected by solar panels may be stored within energystorage device 34 prior to distribution to power source 20 and/or otherdevices or systems of aeronautical car 10.

In some situations, such as when aeronautical car 10 is exposed tosunlight and/or during certain operations of aeronautical car 10 thatmay not require large amounts of power, aeronautical car 10 may runexclusively on solar power from solar energy system 36. When solarpanels 38 absorb more electrical energy than is being consumed byaeronautical car 10 (e.g., during low energy consumption or when acombustion engine is predominantly powering aeronautical car 10),electrical energy converted from sunlight by solar panels 38 may be usedto charge electrical power system 32. That is, electrical energycollected via solar panels 38 may be stored for later use within energystorage devices 34. In this way, aeronautical car 10 may be configuredto rely on electrical power for ground and air travel for extendedperiods of time, including certain amounts of time during which sunlightis not currently available.

Persons of ordinary skill in the art will recognize suitable operativeconnections between power source 20, electrical power system 32, andsolar energy system 36, according to the arrangements described above.

Returning to FIG. 2, power source 20 may be configured to engage theother components of drivetrain 18 via engagement device 22. In someembodiments, engagement device 22 may include one or more clutchesconfigured to be manually actuated (e.g., via a mechanical and/orhydraulic system) or automatically actuated (e.g., via anelectro-mechanical and/or electro-hydraulic system) for engaging ordisengaging power source 20 from the rest of drivetrain 18. In otherembodiments, engagement device 22 may be a hydraulic device, such as ahydraulic torque converter. In other embodiments of aeronautical car 10,drivetrain 18 may not include engagement device 22.

Transmission 24 may be configured to allow a speed ratio between powersource 20 and traction devices 16 to be adjusted to allow aeronauticalcar 10 to be driven at a wide range of groundspeeds. Transmission 24 mayalso be configured to allow a rotational direction of traction devices16 to be changed so aeronautical car 10 can be driven forward orbackward. Transfer case 26 may allow power from transmission 24 to bepermanently or selectively distributed between front and rear tractiondevices 16 via drive shafts 28. Rear differential 30 and frontdifferential (not shown) may each include a gearing system configured toallow the rotational energy of drive shafts 28 to be transferred totraction devices 16 via rear and front axle assemblies (not shown).

In some embodiments, drivetrain 18 may include components that areconfigured to transfer energy from power source 20 to other systems. Forexample, rear differential 30 or another component associated withdrivetrain 18 may be equipped with an output shaft 40 and/or othercomponent configured to engage and drive other or additional devices.For instance, in some embodiments, drivetrain 18 may be used to drivepermanent components of air-travel system 14 (referring to FIG. 1). Inother embodiments, aeronautical car 10 may connectable to externaldevices associated with air-travel system 14 that are configured to bedriven by drivetrain 18 when connected to aeronautical car 10. Forexample, drivetrain 18 may be configured to engage and drive one or morepropellers, fans, and/or other devices configured to connect toaeronautical car 10 and propel it through the air.

It is understood that ground-travel system 12 may include other featuresthat may be found in a typical car that provide the car with acharacteristic that allows the car to be safely and effectively drivenon the ground. For example, ground-travel system 12 may also include achassis, a body, a suspension system, and a steering system. Thesuspension system may be mechanically or hydraulically adjustable toaccommodate ground travel on different types of surfaces and tofacilitate transitions between ground-travel and air-travel (and viceversa). Ground-travel system 12 may also include features that arecompliant with regulatory requirements, such as, for example, emissionabatement systems, exterior lighting/signaling systems, passengerrestraint systems, and/or other systems or devices.

Referring again to FIG. 1, air-travel system 14 may include one or morefeatures configured to allow aeronautical car 10 to leave the ground andtravel in the air. For example, air-travel system 14 may include one ormore propulsion devices 42 and one or more flight mechanisms 44.Propulsion devices 42 may be configured thrust aeronautical car 10 inone or more directions (e.g., horizontal and vertical directions), andflight mechanisms 44 may be configured to provide lift and/or steeringonce aeronautical car 10 is in motion.

As shown in FIG. 4, propulsion devices 42 may include mechanismsconfigured to thrust aeronautical car in horizontal and/or verticaldirections for sustaining flight. For example, propulsion devices 42 mayinclude one or more turbine engines 42 a, propulsion fans 42 b,propellers (not shown), and/or other types of rotary (e.g., having arotor) or bladed propulsion mechanisms. Other mechanisms may includeaxial fans, centrifugal fans, tangential fans, reaction engines,turbojets, turbofans, rockets, ramjets, and/or pulse jets. One ofordinary skill in the art will recognize that numerous configurationsmay be utilized without departing from the scope of the presentdisclosure. Each propulsion device 42 may be fixed or adjustable (e.g.,able to be tilted, rotated, turned, etc.) to allow the travel directionof aeronautical car 10 to be controlled. It is noted that propulsiondevices 42 may also be used to propel and/or steer aeronautical car 10on the ground in addition to in lieu of propulsion provided byground-travel system 12.

Propulsion devices 42 may be integral with or attached to various partsof aeronautical car 10. For example, propulsion devices may be rigidlyattached to a frame or body of aeronautical car 10. Alternatively,propulsion devices may be integral with a component of aeronautical car10, such as a flight mechanism 44 or other component. In someembodiments, propulsion devices 42 may be attached to and extend from aportion of aeronautical car 10, such as from a top or bottom side, afront or rear side, or a lateral side. Other configurations ofpropulsion devices 42 may be possible.

In some embodiments, propulsion devices 42 may be configured to providesufficient horizontal thrust to sustain flight in conjunction withflight mechanisms 44. That is, propulsion devices 42 may be configuredto propel aeronautical car 10 fast enough to allow flight mechanisms 44to generate sufficient lift and steering capability for controlledflight. In other embodiments, one or more of propulsion devices 42 maybe also or alternatively be configured to provide vertical thrust toallow aeronautical car 10 to take off from the ground at lower or zerohorizontal speed. That is one or more propulsion devices 42 may beconfigured to provide sufficient vertical thrust to permit verticaltakeoff and landing (VTOL) of aeronautical car 10.

In some embodiments, one or more of propulsion devices 42 may beadjustable and otherwise configured to provide both vertical andhorizontal thrust. That is, propulsion devices 42 may be adjustable toallow for thrust generation in desired directions between and includingvertical and horizontal directions. Propulsion devices 42 may beassociated with fixed propulsion mounts or rotatable propulsion mountsso as to provide vertical lift and/or horizontal thrust. In someembodiments, a mounting device for propulsion units 42 may include pivotassemblies configured to allow a rotation of propulsion assemblies aboutone or more axes in response to a control signal.

In some embodiments, propulsion devices 42 maybe configured to controlor assisting in controlling yaw, pitch, and roll of aeronautical car 10during flight. For example, multiple propulsion devices 42 may bepositioned around aeronautical car 10 and configured to be manipulatedto maneuver aeronautical car 10 in the air. For instance, multiplepropulsion devices 42 may be positioned at multiple sides ofaeronautical car 10 (e.g., left side, right side, front side, rear side,etc.), which may be used to control movements of aeronautical car 10 byadjusting one or more of a power output and thrust vector direction(e.g., by adjusting a positional orientation) of each propulsion device42. In this way, high maneuverability of aeronautical car 10 may beachieved at high and low horizontal speeds.

In some embodiments, propulsion devices 42 may further includevariable-speed and/or reversible type motors that may be run in eitherdirection and/or at varying rotational speeds based on control signals.Propulsion devices 42 may be powered by various power supply systems,including batteries, solar energy, gasoline, diesel fuel, natural gas,methane, and/or any other suitable fuel source (e.g., an electricalpower system and solar energy system to be described).

In some instances, propulsion devices 42 may be adjustable to providefor reduced or fully reversible thrust. For example, the rotationaldirection of each propulsion device 42 may be variable-speed and/orreversible. Each propulsion device may also or alternatively includeassociated airfoil components (e.g., variable-pitch propellers or bladesconfigured to have an adjustable angle of attack. In this way, thrustintensity of each propulsion device 42 may be controlled, which mayallow for controlled velocity, acceleration, and steering, based on theangle of attack of the associated airfoil components. For example, wherethe associated airfoil components are configured as adjustable blades,the blades may be rotated to accomplish a complete thrust reversal. Thepropulsion unit may also or alternatively be configured with, forexample, vanes, ports, shields, and/or other devices, such that a thrustgenerated by the propulsion unit may be modified and directed in adesired direction. The direction of thrust may also or alternatively bereversed or otherwise adjusted by adjusting the positional orientationof each propulsion device 42.

It should be understood that propulsion devices 42 and/or power source20 may, as a whole, include features that provide power for a drivingmode and a flying mode (e.g., to accelerate aeronautical car 10 in anydirection). The manner in which propulsion devices 42 and/or powersource 20 functions and a degree to which they are separate or combineddevices may vary across different embodiments.

Flight mechanisms 44 may be fixed or selectively and/or automaticallyadjustable to allow aeronautical car 10 to be maneuvered through the airin a manner similar to airplanes. For example, flight mechanisms 44 mayinclude a pair of wings 46, which may include fixed wings or flexiblewings that extend laterally from aeronautical car 10. Wings 46 mayinclude adjustable features to accommodate controlled air travel, suchas ailerons and flaps. Flight mechanisms 44 may also include ahorizontal stabilizer 48, a vertical stabilizer 50, other airfoils,and/or other associated devices for maneuvering aeronautical car 10through the air, such as rudders and elevators.

As shown in FIG. 5, flight mechanisms 44 may include features that allowthem to retract, fold, or otherwise move out of a flight position whenaeronautical car 10 is in a driving mode. For instance, wings 46 andother flight mechanisms 44 may be connected to aeronautical car 10 via ahinging mechanism 52 or other device that allows them to fold against orinto a body of aeronautical car 10. Wings 46 and other flight mechanisms44 may also be divided into sections that are connected by joints 54(e.g., hinges) that allow them to fold and collapse at one or morelocations. Wings 46 and other flight mechanisms 44 may be configured tocollapse against the body of aeronautical car 10 or into a designatedcompartment to reduce drag and improve the aerodynamic performance ofaeronautical car 10.

To further reduce drag during flight, aeronautical car 10 may includeone or more air shields 56 that are configured to block airflows orallow airflows to more efficiently pass over, under, or a roundaeronautical car 10. For instance, when aeronautical car 10 is drivingon the ground, traction devices 16 may be located in a wheel well thatpermits traction devices to be turned (e.g., left and right) to allowfor proper steering of aeronautical car 10. During a flight mode, airshields 56 may be moved from a storage position (e.g., within a bodypanel or other compartment) to a flight position where air shield 16 maybe able to partially or totally block airflows from flowing into wheelwells 58 and creating drag. Other air shields 58 may be positioned atother locations around aeronautical car 10 to guide airflows away fromnon-aerodynamic features, such as traction devices 16, drivetraincomponents, exhaust system components, and other features near theexterior of aeronautical car 10.

It is noted that wings 46, all other flight mechanisms 44, and airshields may be manually or automatically moved from a driving position(i.e., a position assumed during a driving mode) to a flight position(i.e., a position assumed during a flight mode). To facilitatetransitions between driving and flight positions, each wing 46, otherflight mechanism 44, and air shield 58 may include or be connected toone or more actuators that are configured to drive each componentbetween driving and flight positions. For example, mechanical and/orhydraulic actuators may be mounted to aeronautical car 10 that attach toa respective wing 46, other flight mechanism 44, or air shield 58 forpivoting or sliding the respective component into its driving or flightposition.

As shown in FIG. 6, flight mechanisms 44, including wings 46, horizontalstabilizer 48, vertical stabilizer 50, as well as other components thatare not shown, may be configured to be stowed within internalcompartments 60 of aeronautical car 10 when in a driving mode. Forexample, to allow wings 46 to be fully stowed during a driving mode,wings 46 may be configured to collapse at one or more joints 54 thatallow each wing 46, once collapsed, to fit within a designatedcompartment 60. Although each wing 46 in FIG. 6 is shown with one joint54, it is understood that wings 46 may include a number of joints toallow for more compact stowage. Other flight mechanisms 44, such ashorizontal stabilizer 48 and vertical stabilizer 50, may not collapse atjoints and may instead be configured to slide into and out of adesignated compartment 60 intact. In some embodiments, compartments 60may be sized to accommodate propulsion devices 42 that are attached towings 46 or other flight mechanisms 44. In this way, propulsion devices42 may be protected from damage when not in use during driving mode.

In some embodiments, as shown in FIG. 7 wings 46 may be stored anddeployed from underneath aeronautical car 10. For example, instead offolding at a hinged joint, wings 46 may be configured to collapsetelescopically such that a first wing section 62 is positioned over orwithin a second wing section 64 when in a driving mode to allow wings 46to fit into a compact space below aeronautical car 10. Each wing 46 mayalso be connected to an actuator 66 that is configured to rotatecollapsed wings 46 to a centrally-located driving position 68 underneathaeronautical car 10. During wing deployment, actuator 66 may rotatewings 46 to point outwardly in a lateral direction prior to theirextension to a flight position. In other embodiments, each wing 46 maybe connected to its own actuator 66 and configured to be separatelyrotated to a laterally-located driving position 70 underneathaeronautical car 10.

In some embodiments, air-travel system 14 may include features of acoupled vehicle that can be detached from aeronautical car 10 when in adriving mode. For example, air-travel system 14 may include a componentor components, such as separate and detachable chassis, frame, and/orbody components, that are configured to house components of air-travelsystem 14 (e.g., propulsion devices 42, flight mechanisms 44, wings 46,etc.). In other words, air-travel system 14 may be a separate componentthat may be connectable to and detachable from aeronautical car 10. Theremovable air-travel system 14 may be supported on its own wheels orother traction devices and be autonomously powered or connectable topower source 20 (e.g., via output shaft 40—referring to FIG. 2). Aflying mode may be possible when the removable air-travel system 14 iscoupled to the car, and a driving mode may be enabled when the removableair-travel system 14 is de-coupled from the car.

One of ordinary skill in the art will recognize that otherconfigurations of air-travel system 14 may be utilized to manipulateaeronautical car 10 without departing from the scope of this disclosure.

As shown in FIG. 8, aeronautical car 10 may have a control system 72that includes features that allow aeronautical car 10 to be controlledby an operator. For example, control system 72 may include featuresconfigured to allow aeronautical car 10 to be operated in both a drivingmode and a flying mode.

Control system 72 may include, for example, operator controls forproviding input to drive and/or fly aeronautical car 10. For example,control system 72 may include drive mode controls 74 and flight modecontrols 76. Drive mode controls 74 may include one or more controlsthat may be used to accelerate, steer, brake, etc., when aeronauticalcar 10 is on the ground. For example, drive mode controls may include asteering device 78, accelerator device 80, brake device 82, etc. It isunderstood that other or additional controls that those mentioned hereinmay be included to allow aeronautical car 10 to be driven on the ground.

Flight mode controls 76 may include one or more controls that may beused to fly aeronautical car 10 during a flight mode. For example,flight mode controls 76 may include a throttle/thrust lever 84 and aflight control device 86 for adjusting roll, pitch, and yaw (i.e.,aileron control, elevator control, and rudder control, respectively).Throttle/thrust lever may be movable in forward and backward directionsto control throttle and/or thrust of power source 20 and propulsiondevices 42, respectively. Flight control device 86 may be tiltable orrotatable around multiple axes (e.g., x-axis, y-axis, and z-axis), toallow for control along the roll, pitch, and yaw axes of aeronauticalcar 10. Roll, pitch, and yaw axis control via flight control device 86may separately correspond to aileron, elevator, and rudder control,respectively. It is understood that flight mode controls 76 may includeother or additional control devices than those mentioned herein. Forinstance, each separate control function of flight control device 86 asdescribed herein (i.e., aileron control, elevator control, and ruddercontrol) may be assigned to separate control devices (e.g., levers,pedals, etc.). It is also understood that the location and form offlight mode controls 76 and drive mode controls 74 may vary from thelocations and forms described herein without departing from the scope ofthis disclosure.

In some embodiments, control system 72 may include one or more controlmechanisms that provide input to drive or fly aeronautical car 10,depending whether aeronautical car 10 is in driving or flight mode. Forexample, steering device 78 that steers aeronautical car 10 on theground may be configured to also control one or more of roll, pitch, andyaw of aeronautical car 10 during a flight mode. In one example,steering device 78 may also be configured to be pushed forward andpulled backward (with respect to a seated operator) in addition to beingrotated left and right so as to allow for aileron and elevator controlduring flight mode. In another example, accelerator device 80 andbraking device 82 may also be configured to accomplish rudder controlduring flight mode to allow for control of aeronautical car 10 aroundthe yaw axis. To accomplish this dual control functionality for flightmode and driving mode, each component of control system 72 may beconfigured to receive a mechanical input from the operator and generatea mechanical or electrical output based on the operator's input, whichmay be interpreted by an associated control module in different waysdepending on whether aeronautical car 10 is in driving mode or flightmode. For instance, during driving mode, operator inputs received bysteering device 78, accelerator device 80, and braking device 82 may beinterpreted by the associated control module as commands to actuatecomponents associated with ground-travel system 12. During flight mode,operator inputs received by steering device 78, accelerator device 80,and braking device 82 may instead be interpreted by the associatedcontrol module as commands to actuate components associated withair-travel system 14, as described above.

Control system 72 may also include one or more control featuresconfigured to selectively switch aeronautical car 10 between a drivemode and a flight mode. For example, control system 72 may include oneor more buttons, switches, or other input devices that, when selected byan operator, generate commands to activate components associated withthe selected mode and deactivate components associated with thenon-selected mode. For example, control system 72 may be configured toallow for manual or automatic engagement of a mechanism for movingflight mechanisms 44 between a first position (e.g., a driving position)and a second position (e.g., a flight position). That is, control system72 may include a switch, button, or other feature that, when selected,deploys and/or retracts wings 46, engages or disengages drivetrain 18,engages or disengages propulsion devices, and/or toggles thefunctionality of multipurpose controls (e.g., steering device 78,accelerator device 80, braking device 82, etc.)

In some embodiments, control system 72 may further include a computingsystem (not shown). The computing system may include, for example, aprocessor and a memory device. The processor may be any suitableprocessor, and may include hardware components, such as circuits, orsoftware components, such as software codes, or a combination ofhardware and software components. The memory device may be tangible,non-transitory, volatile, or non-volatile. The memory device may be anysuitable memory, such as, for example, a flash memory, a Random AccessMemory (RAM), a Dynamic Random Access Memory (DRAM), or a Read-OnlyMemory (ROM). The memory device may be configured for storing computerinstructions, such as software codes. The memory device may also beconfigured for storing data, such as parameters measured by one or moresensors. The processor may be configured to process the instructionsstored in the memory device to perform various functions (e.g., analysisof data). The processor may also be configured to retrieve (e.g., read)data from the memory device and process the retrieved data (e.g., byapplying various software codes to analyze the retrieved data).

The computing system may be configured to provide electronic controls toone or more components of aeronautical car 10. For example, thecomputing system may include a combination of a car electronic controlunit and an airplane electronic control unit. The computing system maybe configured, for example, to convert signals from driving modecontrols 32 and flight mode controls 34 into commands for manipulationof one or more components of ground-travel system 12 and/or air-travelsystem 14, such as to drive and/or fly aeronautical car 10.

According to some embodiments, the computing system may includesoftware, data structures, and/or systems enabling other functionality.For example, the computing system may include software allowing forautomatic pilot control of aeronautical car 10. Automatic pilot controlmay include any functions configured to automatically maintain a presetcourse and/or perform other navigation functions independent of anoperator of aeronautical car 10 (e.g., stabilizing, preventingundesirable maneuvers, automatic landing, etc.). For example, thecomputing system may receive information from an operator ofaeronautical car 10 including a flight plan and/or destinationinformation. The computing system may use such information inconjunction with autopilot software for determining appropriate commandsto propulsion device(s) 22 for purposes of navigating aeronautical car10 according to the information provided.

In some embodiments, control system 72 may include one or more controlfeatures that may allow for unmanned flight of aeronautical car 10. Forexample, control system 72 may include a remotely-controlled computingsystem (e.g., such as to allow aeronautical car 10 to be driven and/orflown remotely through user operation of a remote controller). Inanother example, control system 72 may include an autonomous computingsystem configured to drive and/or fly aeronautical car 10 based oncollected data, such as sensor input.

FIGS. 9-14 illustrate an exemplary aeronautical car 10 for weathermanipulation that is consistent with the present disclosure.Aeronautical car 10 of FIGS. 9-14 may include features described abovein addition to features described below. Among other things,aeronautical car 10 may be used for moving clouds from one region toanother, thereby achieving the goal of manipulating or at leastaffecting the weather at both regions. For instance, it may be desirableto move clouds from a region where rainfall is excessive to a dry regionwhere rainfall is scarce. Relocating clouds may affect the distributionof precipitation, such that flooding in a precipitation-rich region canbe reduced, and drought in a dry region can be improved. As anotherexample, it may be desirable to move clouds to a region of sky, forinstance, over a parade or sport event taking place on a hot day toprovide shade and protect participants and spectators from excessiveheat or damaging effects of the sun's rays.

For the application of manipulating weather, and specifically, formoving clouds, aeronautical car 10 may include a weather manipulationsystem 88 that includes a container 90 for capturing and transporting acloud, as shown in FIGS. 9 and 10. Container 90 may be any suitableshape, such as a rectangular cuboid shape, a cylindrical shape, oranother shape. Container 90 may be an enclosure and include an opening92 into the enclosure. When deployed, container 90 may be positionedsuch that opening 92 faces a lateral side of container 90, such as afront, rear, left, or right side (e.g., such that aeronautical car 10may move horizontally to capture a cloud). It should be understood,however, that other configurations are possible (e.g., the opening mayface upwardly or downwardly, etc.).

Container 90 may be constructed from at least one light-weight material,such as carbon fiber, aluminum, a polymer or other type of fabric, ametal/alloy film, a plastic, a foam, etc. Container 90 may beretractable and when not in use may be stored in a compartment 94located near a bottom side of aeronautical car 10 (or anothercompartment of aeronautical car 10), as shown in FIG. 10. Compartment 94may include a hatch that is configured to be opened on command to deploycontainer 90 and closed when container 90 is stowed within compartment94.

To capture a cloud, the hatch of compartment 94 may be opened to allowcontainer 90 to be deployed. An actuator 96 associated with weathermanipulation system 88 may be configured to help deploy container 90 andcontain a captured cloud. For example, actuator 96 may be a compressedair system that is configured to inflate a portion of container 90 thatserves a structural element to maintain the shape of container 90. Whenthe structural portion is inflated, container 90 may hold its shape.Container 90 may include a number of valves associated with thestructural portion and governed by a controller 98 that are configuredto allow compressed air to selectively open and close opening 92 byevacuating and admitting compressed air in passages around the opening.Container 90 may also or alternatively include a number ofelectromagnets that are configured to help open and close opening 90when energized.

In another embodiment, container 90 may include a lightweight framearound its perimeter that is formed of material having properties thatallow its shape to be remotely controlled, such as a shape memory alloy(SMA). The SMA frame may be provided with an initial shape for capturingclouds such that when the SMA is heated or when an electrical currentapplied to it, the SMA returns to that original shape. In this way, heator an electrical current may be applied to the SMA frame to causecontainer 90 to assume and hold its original shape during cloudcollection. When the SMA frame is cooled, such as when container 90 isstored, the SMA frame may be easily collapsible and retractable intocompartment 94 by actuator 96. Opening 92 may also include a dedicatedportion of SMA to allow opening 92 to be closed or opened on command bycontrolling a flow of current (or other heat source) to the SMA aroundopening 92. It is understood that other mechanisms for deployingcontainer 90 than those discussed herein may be used.

In some embodiments, container 90 may include a climate control systemconfigured to adjust the air condition within container 90 for suitablecloud storage. The climate control system may include various devicesfor controlling the air condition within container 90, such as thetemperature and humidity within container 90. For example, the climatecontrol system may include at least one sensor 100 configured to detectone or more air parameters, such as the temperature and/or humidity ofthe air within container 90. The climate control system may also includea conditioning device 102, such as an air conditioner, a humidifier, adehumidifier, a heater, etc., for adjusting the air condition withincontainer 90 based on detected parameters (e.g., temperature andhumidity) measured by sensor 100. The climate control system may beconfigured to automatically adjust the condition of the air withincontainer 90 while a cloud is being transported from one region toanother, such that the cloud remains as a condensed water vapor, ratherthan being evaporated or condensed into water. The climate controlsystem may also include other sensors, such as a sensor that measureswater droplet concentration within a cloud. It is understood that theclimate control system may include additional or other sensory equipment

In use, aeronautical car 10 may be driven to a region where a cloud islocated. Aeronautical car 10 may be flown to approach the cloud andcapture the cloud in container 90. Aeronautical car 10 may transport thecloud to a destination region using container 90. The climate controlsystem may adjust the air condition within container 90 such that thecloud remains a condensed water vapor. After the cloud is transported tothe destination region within the container aeronautical car 10 may bemaneuvered such that the cloud is released from container 90. In someembodiments, multiple sides of container 90 may include an opening orotherwise be openable to facilitate releasing the transported cloud. Inaddition, although not shown, a fan or other such device may be providedwithin container 90 to facilitate the release of the cloud. After thecloud is released, container 90 may be returned to compartment 94, andcompartment 94 may be closed. Aeronautical car 10 may travel back andforth between regions to move as many clouds as needed.

FIGS. 11 and 12 illustrate an exemplary aeronautical car 10 for weathermanipulation consistent with the disclosed embodiments that may be usedfor cloud seeding and may include one or more features discussed above.Existing technologies for cloud seeding suffer from variousshortcomings, including the lack of ease of maneuverability, difficultground transport, and short flight time capabilities. Aeronautical car10 overcomes these shortcomings.

Aeronautical car 10 may include a weather manipulation device, such as anozzle 104 mounted on aeronautical car 10 for spreading cloud seedingmaterials 106, such as silver iodide (AgI), aluminum oxide, and/orbarium, to a cloud. Aeronautical car 10 may include a sensing system 108configured to measure parameters that reflect the conditions of a cloud,which may be used in generating cloud seeding strategies. Sensing system108 may include various sensors, such as at least one of a temperaturesensor, a humidity sensor, or a water droplet size or amount sensor,etc., that are configured to measure various parameters associated withthe cloud. Sensing system 108 may be connected to an actuator andselectively deployable from a compartment within aeronautical car 10.For example, sensing system 108 may be deployable and retractable via atelescopic, hinged, or tethered actuator.

Measured parameters collected by sensing system 108 and/or otherinformation may be sent off-board to other devices (e.g., computers) forfurther processing. For example, aeronautical car 10 may further includean onboard controller 110 (shown in FIG. 12) and one or morecommunication devices (e.g., transmitter, antenna, etc.—not shown)configured to communicate data with an off-board entity, such as aground-based control center. Aeronautical car 10 may similarly receiveprocessing results from the off-board entity, which may be used onboard(e.g., by control system 72—referring to FIG. 8) in controlling theapplication of cloud seeding materials 106.

As shown in FIG. 12, an onboard controller 110 may be electronicallyconnected to one or more nozzles 104 and sensing system 108 through atleast one of a wired connection or a wireless connection system.Parameters measured by sensing system 108 may be transmitted to onboardcontroller 110 and stored therein in an associated memory device.Onboard controller 110 may also include a processor and be configured toanalyze the measured parameters to determine the conditions of clouds.Controller 110 may be configured to compare the determined conditions ofa cloud to parameter thresholds stored within its memory and determinewhether the cloud is a candidate for seeding. That is, if the determinedconditions of the cloud satisfy parameter threshold criteria (e.g.,threshold temperature, humidity, water droplet size or amount, and/orother criteria), onboard controller 110 may control nozzle 104 todistribute or spread cloud seeding materials to the cloud. If onboardcontroller 110 determines that the conditions of a cloud do not satisfythe threshold criteria for cloud seeding (e.g., the temperature,humidity, and/or water droplet size do not satisfy their respectivethreshold values), the cloud may not be a proper candidate for cloudseeding and onboard controller 110 may not activate nozzle 104 todistribute or spread cloud seeding materials to the cloud.

For cloud seeding applications, aeronautical car 10 may be flown to anarea of the sky where clouds are located and may be maneuvered throughthe sky above, near, or within the clouds. Aeronautical car 10 mayperiodically or continuously measure parameters reflecting theconditions of the clouds using sensing system 108. That is, aeronauticalcar 10 may measure cloud parameters in real-time to allow for quickidentification of clouds that are suitable for seeding. When onboardcontroller 110 determines, based on the analysis of the measuredparameters, that a cloud is ready for cloud seeding, onboard controller110 may control nozzle 104 to spread cloud seeding materials 106 to thecloud.

Because aeronautical car 10 is compact and easily maneuverable, cloudseeding materials 106 may be distributed to the cloud in an accurate andefficient way. For example, it is understood that a cloud may be formedof a plurality of small cloud patches, which may or may not be evenlydistributed within the cloud. The conditions of each cloud patch may bedifferent, such that the desired distribution of cloud seeding material106 may not be uniform across the whole cloud. To more effectively carryout cloud seeding procedures, onboard controller 110 may control nozzle104 to selectively distribute cloud seeding materials to each cloudpatch based on an analysis of the parameters associated with eachrespective cloud patch. For example, onboard controller 110 may controlnozzle 104 to distribute cloud seeding materials 106 in a non-uniformpattern when cloud patches are distributed non-evenly within the cloud.In some situations, onboard controller 110 may control nozzle 104 todistribute cloud seeding materials 106 to some but not all cloud patcheswithin the cloud.

FIGS. 13-14 illustrate an exemplary aeronautical car 10 for weathermanipulation consistent with the disclosed embodiments that may be usedto interfere with the formation of hazardous weather, such as a storm(e.g., a rain or snow storm, a tropical storm, a hurricane, a tornado,and a hail storm, etc.). Aeronautical car 10 may include a weathermanipulation device, such as a storm interference system that includessensing system 108, onboard controller 110, and a plurality of storminterference devices 112. The plurality of storm interference devices112 may be mounted to a body, frame, or chassis of aeronautical car 10and may be deployable from and retractable to a storage compartment.

Storm interference devices 112 may be configured to generate waves ofenergy at certain frequencies and direct the waves of energy towardclouds for interfering with the formation of a storm. Storm interferencedevices 112 may include a wave generator configured to generate a waveof energy at a selected frequency or a frequency spectrum. For example,the wave generator may be configured to generate microwaves at one ormore microwave frequencies within the range of 300 MHz to 300 GHz.Microwaves may be directed toward a cloud to heat the water droplets,causing the water droplets to evaporate and be reduced in sizes.Reducing the sizes of the water droplets may interfere, disrupt, orprevent the formation of at least some types of storms. In someembodiments, the wave generator may generate other types of waves, suchas a shock wave (e.g., an abrupt, pulsed wave) to break the ice or hailformed within a cloud, thereby reducing the severity or preventing theformation of the storms. In some embodiments, interference devices 112may include laser devices (not shown separately) configured to emit alaser light that may be directed at a cloud to heat the cloud.Increasing the temperature of the cloud may interfere with theaggregation of the water droplets suspended therein, therebyinterfering, disrupting, or preventing the formation of storms. Becauseaeronautical car 10 is compact and may quickly and easily maneuverthroughout the clouds, storm interference technologies may be accuratelyapplied to targeted clouds.

Sensing system 108 may be configured to measure various parametersassociated with clouds, thereby enabling real-time monitoring of theconditions of the clouds. For example, sensing system 108 may includeone or more sensors configured to periodically or continuously measureone or more of the temperature, humidity, and/or the size and amount ofwater droplets of clouds. In addition, sensing system 108 may includeother devices, such as radar, thermographic imaging sensors, infraredsensors, etc., for measuring other parameters (e.g., movement of theclouds, thermal pattern of the clouds, etc.) indicating the conditionsof the clouds. Parameters measured by sensing system 108 may betransmitted to onboard controller 110 and stored within its associatedmemory and/or directly processed by its associated processor. Onboardcontroller 108 may analyze the parameters measured by sensing system 108to determine the conditions of the clouds and the status of stormformation. Based on the analysis, onboard controller 110 may beconfigured to selectively identify certain clouds for applying the storminterference technologies, such that storm interference may be achievedaccurately and efficiently. For example, onboard controller 110 mayselect one cloud over another cloud, and may control interferencedevices 112 to generate and apply energy waves toward only the selectedcloud. In addition, based on the analysis of the measured parameters,onboard controller 110 may determine wave parameters (e.g., thefrequency and amplitude) of the energy waves to be generated and appliedto the cloud. Because aeronautical car 10 is easily maneuverable andcompact, storm interference technologies may be more accurately andefficiently applied to storm-forming clouds.

The disclosed aeronautical cars may be used in a variety of applicationsfor weather manipulation. For example, the disclosed aeronautical carsmay be used for climate control over a small area, such as a footballstadium, by using one or more aeronautical car. The disclosedaeronautical cars may be used for climate control over a large area byusing a plurality of aeronautical cars. The disclosed aeronautical carsmay also be used over all terrains, including the sky over deserts orhigh mountains, where transportation of existing precipitation-makingdevices, such as rockets, cannons, or ground-based cloud seedinggenerators, may be challenging.

Because aeronautical cars are compact, they may easily maneuver aroundthe sky to utilize weather manipulation technology. As a result,accuracy and efficiency in weather manipulation may be improved.Moreover, because the disclosed aeronautical cars include a solar energysystem and thus can be operated with a self-sustaining power supply fora relatively long time (e.g., several days, weeks, or even months),continuous and effective weather manipulation may be achieved.

The foregoing description has been presented for purposes ofillustration. It is not exhaustive and is not limited to the preciseforms or examples disclosed. Modifications and adaptations will beapparent to those skilled in the art from consideration of thespecification and practice of the disclosed examples. The examples shownin the figures are not mutually exclusive. Features included in oneexample shown in one figure may also be included in other examples shownin other figures.

It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that variousmodifications and variations can be made in the disclosed aeronauticalcars for weather manipulation. Other embodiments will be apparent tothose skilled in the art from consideration of the specification andpractice of the disclosed embodiments herein. It is intended that thespecification and examples be considered as exemplary only, with a truescope of the disclosure being indicated by the following claims.

1-17. (canceled)
 18. An aeronautical car, comprising: a ground-travelsystem including a drivetrain; and an air-travel system including: atleast one flight mechanism configured to provide lift once theaeronautical car is in motion; at least one air shield configured tomove from a storage position to a position blocking airflow into theaeronautical car while the aeronautical car is in flight mode; ahorizontal stabilizer; and a vertical stabilizer.
 19. The aeronauticalcar of claim 18, wherein the at least one air shield is configured tomove from the storage position to a position blocking airflow into awheel well of the ground-travel system.
 20. The aeronautical car ofclaim 18, further comprising a four-wheel drive system powered by thedrivetrain, wherein the drivetrain is powered by at least one of areciprocating piston engine, a rotary engine, or a turbine engine. 21.The aeronautical car of claim 18, wherein the horizontal stabilizer andthe vertical stabilizer are configured to slide into and out of acompartment of the aeronautical car.
 22. The aeronautical car of claim18, wherein: the ground travel system comprises a combustion engine anda drive motor; the combustion engine is configured to burn a mixture ofair and fuel; and the drive motor is powered by an electrical powersystem including at least one battery or capacity.
 23. The aeronauticalcar of claim 18, further comprising a solar energy system configured tosupply energy to a drive motor.
 24. The aeronautical car of claim 18,further comprising: an emission abatement system; an exterior lightingsystem; and a passenger restraint system.
 25. The aeronautical car ofclaim 18, further comprising a propulsion device, the propulsion deviceincluding a pulse jet.
 26. The aeronautical car of claim 18, furthercomprising a propulsion device, the propulsion device being configuredto be tilted, rotated, and turned.
 27. The aeronautical car of claim 18,further comprising a propulsion device, the propulsion device beingconfigured to provide vertical thrust for vertical takeoff.
 28. Theaeronautical car of claim 18, further comprising: a plurality ofpropulsion devices, wherein at least one propulsion device is positionedon a left side, a right side, a front side, and a rear side of theaeronautical car.
 29. The aeronautical car of claim 18, furthercomprising a propulsion device, the propulsion device includingadjustable airfoil components adjustable to reverse thrust.
 30. Theaeronautical car of claim 18, wherein the air shields are configured toblock air flows when the aeronautical car is in a flight mode or allowair flows when the aeronautical car is in a driving mode.
 31. Theaeronautical car of claim 18, wherein the air shields may be manually orautomatically moved from a driving mode to a flight mode.
 32. Theaeronautical car of claim 18, further comprising: at least one wing; andat least one actuator configured to position the at least one wingunderneath the aeronautical car.
 33. The aeronautical car of claim 18,further comprising a steering device configured to steer theaeronautical car when the aeronautical car is on the ground and alsocontrol at least one of roll, pitch, or yaw of the aeronautical car whenthe aeronautical car is in flight.
 34. The aeronautical car of claim 18,further comprising a weather manipulation device configured tomanipulate at least one aspect of a weather condition while theaeronautical car is in the air.
 35. The aeronautical car of claim 34,wherein the weather manipulation device includes a container and aclimate control system configured to adjust an air condition within thecontainer for cloud storage.
 36. The aeronautical car of claim 35,wherein the container includes a lightweight frame comprising a shapememory alloy (SMA).
 37. The aeronautical car of claim 21, furthercomprising a storm interference device including a wave generatorconfigured to generate microwaves at a microwave frequency between 300MHz and 300 GHz.